AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 15, 2001

Anna Kournikova

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Anna, please.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Well, I think that for a first match of the first Grand Slam of the year I played very well, especially in the first set. I didn't make too many mistakes. I wasn't nervous, I was just pretty confident in the first set and playing really good. Then the second set, I think that I relaxed a little bit and just kind of after I won that set pretty easy, just kind of, you know, relaxed and started to make a bit more mistakes. She, I think, started to feel confident and start to -- started to play a good game. I was too defensive. But then I found my rhythm again and played well again.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Yeah, definitely. I think, you know, it was really good for me to fight and that I didn't give away the second set, that even after 4-1 I came back and I won the set. I think it was really important for me.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Yeah, I've never seen this girl play before. Most of the time it's difficult to judge how the player is going to play so you have to really be focused on your game and you have to be really ready for anything. Sometimes with this kind of player you never know what's coming. Either it's going to be a winner, either it's going to be a bad mistake so you always have to be ready and concentrated.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: No. I was excited to play the first Grand Slam.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Well, I haven't heard anything about that really, but I think that, you know, our game is great right now and why make the changes while everything is great? So that's my point.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Well, I like it, yeah. I think that -- I have a lot of favorite colors.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Well, I don't know first of all if it's true or not. I don't know if it's official or anything, the newspapers can speculate all they want.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: It is? Well, you know, first of all she's from there, so I guess it's okay. But on the other hand, she grew up here so, you know, she -- everybody thinks of her as Australian. So I think it's very difficult to -- there's always two sides to the story and, you know, everybody's going to pull their side to one side and the other people to the other. I mean, it's just tough on her I think right now. I think that the only person that's -- that has a lot of pressure right now is her. So she's just going to have to try to concentrate and play.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Oh, yeah, definitely. Australians, especially here and in Sydney is just amazing. They are really, you know, I don't think anywhere, maybe a few other tournaments, they do the waves and everything. So I think that here, they're much more into it and just more exciting.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Well, I've always liked fashion, and I've always been artistic, so just maybe --.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Yes.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Well, I have a great relationship with adidas, and they've always asked my opinion and listened to me and we've always worked very close together in the past and now, so that's how it came about.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Yeah.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Well, these colors, yes. But I've worn the style before.